Our Clients:

Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

Dec 15, 2024 6:35 am

Blackhawks, Islanders aim to take pressure off goalies

Ilya Sorokin

The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders will aim to help their respective netminders a little more consistently on Sunday afternoon when the clubs meet for the second time in four days.

New York visits Chicago on the heels of Thursday’s 5-4 home victory against the Blackhawks, when the Islanders exhaled after surrendering three goals over the final stages of the third period.

Islanders coach Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie as a player, chastised the team’s sloppy play in front of Ilya Sorokin.

As the Islanders reached the .500 mark with a number of contributors nearing a return from injury, the team is working to build its consistency and cohesiveness.

“In my days, if my team would have done that to me, I would break a stick in that room,” Roy said. “I’d be very upset to see my team playing like this in front of me. Ilya is a gentleman, he’s a first-class person, but that was unacceptable. We didn’t compete. We didn’t battle in front of the net in the last eight minutes. That’s unacceptable.”

While the Islanders have been idle since Thursday, the Blackhawks remained in the northeast for Saturday’s matinee in New Jersey.

Things didn’t end well for Chicago. Jason Dickinson gave the visitors an early lead with a first-period goal and Connor Bedard showed flashes of offensive potency, but the Blackhawks couldn’t maintain momentum in a 4-1 defeat.

They’ve lost seven of eight.

“You say all those things like, ‘Yeah, we’re good. We’re good. Stay confident. Don’t worry,” Dickinson said. “But the brain is a strong thing that can be very overpowering and stop you from being able to get out of it.”

Chicago will try to regroup during a three-game homestand while navigating a transition in net. With Petr Mrazek out with a lower-body injury, Drew Commesso, a recent call-up from Chicago’s American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford, Ill., made his first career start against the Islanders, stopping 20 shots.

Whether it’s Commesso or Arvid Soderblom in net Sunday and going forward, Chicago knows it must revive an attack that has scored more than two goals only once in the past six games.

“We can’t, every night, rely on our goalies to win us games,” Chicago captain Nick Foligno said. “That’s a sign of a bad hockey team. If Commesso has to pitch a shutout in his first NHL game, it’s a great feather in his cap, but it’s not a good sign for us, right?

“We need to play in a way that allows our goalies to feel confident that, even if one does squeak by, we come back and we support them.”

New York can attest. While the win against the Blackhawks marked the team’s third win in four games, an early third-period push nearly went for naught.

Simon Holmstrom (one goal, two assists), Noah Dobson (one goal, one assist) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (three assists) are coming off multi-point efforts against Chicago.

“(Sorokin) gives us a chance every night,” Dobson said. “So that’s on us. We gotta be a lot better in those situations. But take the two points and move on.”

–Field Level Media

You may also like

jackson merrill
Jul 13, 2025 8:56 am

With a rejuvenated Jackson Merrill, Padres pursue sweep of Phillies

Say this much for San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill. When he snaps a slump, he doesn’t do it with a bloop single off the end of the bat….

Jose Soriano
Jul 13, 2025 8:46 am

Angels aim to sweep Diamondbacks, reach .500 mark

The Los Angeles Angels have a chance to hit the All-Star break at the .500 mark if they can complete a three-game series sweep of the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks on…

Brent Rooker
Jul 13, 2025 8:22 am

Athletics seek series win over Jays heading into All-Star break

Three major league organizations parted ways with Brent Rooker before the Athletics landed him via waivers from the Kansas City Royals following the 2022 season. In 2 1/2 seasons with…

More News News

jackson merrill
Jul 13, 2025 8:56 am

With a rejuvenated Jackson Merrill, Padres pursue sweep of Phillies

Say this much for San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill. When he snaps a slump, he doesn’t do it with a bloop single off the end of the bat….

Jose Soriano
Jul 13, 2025 8:46 am

Angels aim to sweep Diamondbacks, reach .500 mark

Brent Rooker
Jul 13, 2025 8:22 am

Athletics seek series win over Jays heading into All-Star break

robbie ray
Jul 13, 2025 7:59 am

Bevy of All-Stars to take field as Giants, Dodgers close series

acuna cardinals
Jul 13, 2025 7:44 am

Injury-plagued Braves take on Cardinals, Sonny Gray before the break

Read all
fb-post
advertisment
title-icon

Upcoming events

See all odds
[gs-fb-comments]